


You can't hide anything on a castle ship!

by aimlessAnemone



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkwardness, Bad Pick-Up Lines, First Kiss, Flashbacks, M/M, POV Third Person, Past Tense, Space Uncle Coran (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 03:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9638900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aimlessAnemone/pseuds/aimlessAnemone
Summary: Everyone's prodding Keith about the bruise on his neck. Coran tries to teach sex ed. What happened last night?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm nightvalemarinebiologist on tumblr.

           “All right, Paladins, that’s enough.” Shiro’s voice crackled through the helmet transmission as his lion broke position. “Let’s rest up. We all have patrols to make early tomorrow. I do _not_ want a repeat of this morning.” Radio silence conveyed the latent message Shiro was trying to deliver—a few members of the team had shown up significantly late to the first training session of the day. For one of the paladins in question, it was par for the course, but for the other it was highly out of the ordinary.

        When they returned to the castle, everyone convened in the common room. They were even less kinetic than usual after a training day—Allura had increased the difficulty of the physical training module and worked the whole team harder to make up for their collective late start (“The Galra won’t wait for you to brush your teeth!”). Pidge and Hunk occupied themselves with figuring out how to hook the Mercury Gameflux II up with Altean tech. The low voices of Shiro and Keith hummed from the couch, battle tactic jargon occasionally audible. Lance was alone in his own corner of the large room, sprawled on the floor. He skimmed through a book with lively, colorful illustrations and illegible Altean verses. He kicked his feet in the air, out of absentminded boredom, restlessness, or perhaps anxiety.

        After Shiro left for a briefing with Coran and Allura, Keith swung his legs up on the couch, making himself comfortable. He shut his eyes and stretched to crack a sore joint at the base of his head, exposing one side of his neck prominently at the moment Hunk walked by. “Hey buddy, you haven’t seen an 8-pronged screwdriver around, have you? It glows and oozes a bit—“ Keith opened his eyes in time to see Hunk’s eyebrows raise—“Oh man, what happened to your neck?”

        “Huh?” Keith brought his hands to his neck to feel for any surface irregularities. Feeling none, he replied, “What are you talking about?”

        “I dunno, it looks like a giant bruise. Helmet burn? Space chicken pox? Does it hurt?”

        From across the room, Keith glanced over at Lance, who bristled at the mention of the blemish, then bowed his head so deeply into the book it looked like he was using it as a shield. Sudden realization flooded Keith’s mind as he crossed his arms again and frowned. “I fell,” he replied dismissively, avoiding Hunk’s gaze.

        “Yeah, Pidge piped in, walking over, “on a vacuum. Oh man, are those _bite_ marks?” Pidge leaned down to get a closer look; the action was stopped by Keith’s gloved hand pushing back on her nose. His other hand moved to cover the spot the team was fixating on; a small area that he now realized was emanating heat. He jolted a bit, remembering the previous night’s events.

      

       Less than 24 hours ago, Keith was reclining in nearly the same position in the same couch. The lights were out, and he was in the middle of nap. Someone had placed a blanket over him while he slept but it was nearly on the floor now. He was fully dressed and still wore his shoes: the telltale signs of an unintentional slumber.

       Someone else entered the room but the soft sound of the automatic door was too quiet to nudge Keith awake. Perhaps unfortunately, Keith was also sleeping too quietly to alert the newcomer to his presence. Without looking, they sat on the couch.

       Keith jolted upright with a yell. Scanning the room, he made eye contact with the disturbance who had awoken him. and was currently sitting on top of his lower half. Lance.

       “Whoa, dude, why are you sleeping here?” a startled Lance hissed. “Are you okay? Did you realize your room has a bed in it?”

       Keith rubbed his eyes and yawned. “I dunno, I guess I just fell asleep. What time is it?”

       “It’s pretty late. Like, Shiro would not be happy if he knew we were messing up our REM cycles right now.”

       “What are you doing here, then?”

       Lance shrugged and leaned back on the couch, still sitting on Keith. He rested his hands on the top of his head, fingers intertwined, and sighed. “I can’t sleep.” Neither spoke for a few moments until Keith noticed his legs going numb.

       “Lance?”

       “Yeah, buddy?”

       “Can you get off me?”

       “Oh. Yeah.” Lance stood up and moved to perch on the arm of the couch on the side opposite Keith.

       Keith made an audible noise as he stretched his legs and sat up. “Well, I’m going to my room. See you in the morning.”

       In the dim light, Lance nodded at first, staring at the wall. Then he shook his head and stood to meet Keith. “Uh, wait a second!”

       “Huh?”

       “Look, I’ve been wanting to talk to you.” If the lighting had been better, perhaps Keith would have noticed the slight pink tint that appeared on Lance’s cheeks. “It’s just, ugh, why is this so much easier to do with literally anyone else?” He pressed his hands to his face in embarrassment and took a few deep breaths.

       “Lance, what is it? What on Earth could you possibly have to say to me that would be this difficult to express? Are you just trying to piss me off?” Keith crossed his arms and cocked his hip to one side, seemingly irritated. “I’m seriously gonna leave now.”

       At that moment, Lance grabbed at Keith’s sleeve. He took a deep breath. “I love this rival thing we have going on. It’s helped me connect with you, in a way. And, you know how I like to flirt? I, uh,” Keith pulled his arm from Lance’s grasp.

       “Are you seriously asking me for flirting advice? Is that what this is? Should I warn her now, whoever it is?”

       “Keith, no, it’s not like that. Well,” Lance chuckled, combing a hand through his hair, “it sort of is.”

       “Ugh, I knew it. What makes you think I’d have any idea how to help you?”

       “Aw man, you’re selling yourself short!” Lance playfully punched Keith’s shoulder. “But I think you can help. Just listen to this pick-up line and tell me what you think.”

       “O...kay.”

       “Are you part alien? Because you’re kind of out of this world.”

       “Allura’s full alien, Lance. Just say ‘alien.’”

       “It’s not for Allura.”

       “Coran’s full alien, too.”

       “Oh my god! Just listen to another one, okay? Your lion’s red; my lion’s blue; I guess what I’m saying is: ‘Can I make out with you?’”

       At that moment, Keith’s expression changed from one of annoyance to one of confusion. He glared at Lance and responded with a loud, exasperated, “ _What_ ?” When Lance didn’t immediately respond, he continued, “What are you _talking_ about? Is this a prank? I don’t have _time_ for this!”

       “Keith, chill! It’s not a prank.” Lance sat down again and patted the spot next to him on the couch. With some evident reserve, Keith joined him. “Listen, I think you’re hot and I’m not saying it to get a rise out of you. I more than kinda wanna kiss you.”

       For a while the room was still and silent and the boys looked anywhere except at each other. Eventually, Keith picked up the conversation. “Lance, can I say something?” Lance nodded. “Those pickup lines were awful.”

       At this, the tension in the room snapped and Lance’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Hey! I was working on those for weeks!” He playfully shoved Keith’s shoulder. “You can’t just laugh at me!”

       “If those two abominable ‘pick-up lines’ took you more than five minutes to come up with, I’m worried for the sake of the universe.”

       “Well, yeah, but cheese is one of my many charms.” Lance’s hand remained on Keith’s shoulder. “It takes someone with my suave composure to pull off something like that. Anyway, what do you _really_ think?” Lance waggled his eyebrows suggestively and fluttered his eyelashes in quick succession while placing his free hand under his chin.

       “You’re so weird.”

       “Aw, Keith, I’m dying over here! Do you wanna make out or not?”

       Keith looked at the door and then back to the face of the boy who was desperately flirting with him. He frowned, then closed his eyes and put his mouth, slightly puckered, as close to Lance’s as he could without touching his lips.

       It was Lance’s turn to laugh. “If this is how you’re gonna kiss, then maybe I should leave!”

       “Look,” Keith replied, eyes still closed, face still right next Lance’s, “let me be honest with you. I don’t know what I’m doing. If you want to kiss me, then take the lead here. Throw me a bone or something.”

 

       Back in the present, Lance got up from his place on the floor. “Guys, he probably really did just fall or something and he’s too embarrassed to admit it. I’m gonna get something to eat.”

       Keith sighed. “Yeah. Something like that,” he said, watching Lance walk out the door. “I sure did fall.”

       Pidge snorted. “Whatever. Hunk, let’s drop this for now. When they’re, er, when Keith’s ready to tell us what happened, he will. In the meantime, we’re so close to getting this vintage beauty to run even better than it did when it was brand new! I think I know where the screwdriver is.” Pidge left through one of the doors, Hunk followed, and Keith was once again alone in the couch. He closed his eyes and started nodding. A few moments passed, and Shiro reentered the room.

       “Keith. You’re still here. I wanted to talk to you about this morning.”

       Keith opened his eyes and groaned. “What is there to say? I slept in. It won’t happen again. McClain sleeps in way more often than I do.”

       “That’s not really what I meant. I wanted to see how you’re doing. Are you sick?” Shiro walked over to the couch and put his hand on Keith’s forehead. “You do feel pretty hot, honestly. Will you go find Coran and ask him to give you a quick check up? I just want to make sure you’re all right.”

       “I really think I’m fine but if it’ll make you feel better, I can go.”

       “Great, thanks.”

       Keith got up and made his way down the hallway toward the engineering bay. As he walked, he fell into a familiar rhythm, something like a heartbeat…

 

       Back in the dimly lit common room, Keith’s heart rate steadily increased as he waited for Lance’s reply. Lance said nothing nor did he make a move toward Keith’s exposed lips. Had Keith been listening for something other than the blood pumping through his own heart, he would have noticed Lance’s getting faster at a similar pace. Finally, he drew back and sat up on the couch. “I don’t get it,” he offered, his voice breaking in exasperation, “You’re the one who wanted to kiss me in the first place.”

       Lance took a deep breath and grasped the fabric of Keith’s shirt. Gently, he pulled Keith closer by his shirt collar until their faces were flush together. This time, there was nearly imperceptible hesitation on Lance’s part. He closed the distance between them with a swift motion--his lips touching Keith’s. The angle wasn’t perfect; their noses couldn’t seem to find a way not to bump into each other. They readjusted until finally Keith could feel a smile forming on Lance’s mouth. He brought his thumb and forefinger to Lance’s lips and placed one finger on either end of the smile, keeping his lips in place. Lance shivered a bit at the somewhat awkward gesture and responded by placing his hands on the sides of Keith’s face. He traced an outline around Keith’s cheeks, then closed his hands, pinching Keith playfully. Keith flinched.

       Lance backed off immediately. “Are you okay, Keith? I’m totally sorry if that hurt.”

       Keith shook his head. “No. I mean, yeah, I’m fine. My reaction was…” he paused. “It was fine.”

       “It was just ‘fine?’ That’s okay and all, but if you’re not into it let’s stop.”

       “Don’t,” Keith replied, regaining composure, “put words in my mouth.” With this, Keith grabbed Lance by the shoulders, pushing him with enough force that it was lucky the couch was behind him. He kissed the other boy’s lips with bravado this time, the hesitation from before overcome. Garrison pilots; defenders of the universe or not, there was no doubt Keith could feel the subtle softness of Lance’s upper arms, nor was it likely that Lance could deny the beauty of the small tremor emanating from Keith’s hands.

       Keith gripped Lance’s shoulders tighter, earning a small noise of thrill that vibrated delicately between their mouths--a bridge of sound so intimate that Keith’s nails left impressions on Lance’s goosebumped skin and Lance returned the embrace, pulling Keith closer until their chests touched.

       With their bodies (nearly) as close together as possible, Lance opened his mouth slightly and gently licked an outline around Keith’s lips. Keith gasped: Lance took the resulting opportunity to close the gap. His tongue brushed across Keith’s smooth front teeth. Keith opened his mouth further and their tongues behaved as those of young lovers often do--exploring, intertwining--until Lance closed his teeth on Keith’s lower lip.

       Keith reeled at the sudden spark of pain and withdrew. He touched his lower lip, frowning with curiosity.

       “Crap. Too much again?” Lance offered, apology inflecting his voice.

       “No.” Keith’s answer hung in silence for a second or two. “It brought me back to reality.”

       “And that’s,” Lance paused. “Good?”

       “I guess.” A blush manifested on Keith’s face. “It would be better if you kept doing it.

 

       Keith met Coran in the medbay. “Now, what seems to be knocking you down in the Galrumphs, my boy?”

       “I’m--fine, Coran. Shiro’s worried, though.” Keith strategically moved to cover the bruise on his neck before Coran noticed it. “I overslept this morning. Everyone does that once in a while, right?”

       “Sure they do! And I’m quite sure there’s nothing to worry about. But why don’t we humor Shiro? It’ll be our secret!” Coran winked conspiratorially at Keith; Keith rolled his eyes and smacked his hand to his forehead in frustration, momentarily exposing the bruise.

       “Oh? What’s this? Did you fall on a Norlack? Oh dear, do we have a Lunnie infestation? If it’s this serious already, perhaps I should put the castle on lockdown!”

       “Coran, no.” Keith quickly covered his neck again before Coran could get a closer look. “It’s nothing like that. I swear I’m fine.”

       “Are you worried that it’s a part of the Galra lifecycle? I have some books around here on the exact subject; there’s no need to be ashamed!”

       “Listen to me! The answer is more mundane than anything you’ve offered.” Keith took a deep breath and then sighed heavily. “It was Lance. Well, it was me, too. We were fighting, but we weren’t. It’s fine. It’s whatever.”

       Realization hit Coran’s face. “Well, let’s not put the castle into lockdown for now. Seems you’re perfectly healthy.”

       “Can I go, then?”

       “Well, wait just a minute, Keith. I think I know what’s going on and I have just the video for you!” Before Keith could argue, Coran had dimmed the lights and an overhead screen began playing the same tune from the instructional scaultrite harvesting movie. Keith’s mouth gaped as the title appeared on the opening cinematic: “Intimate Relationships and You.”

       “Coran, no, I’m outta here!” Keith started walking toward the door as fast as he could, intent on leaving before the video could get its first word in edgewise-- _Hello, brave, young Altean!_ \--too late. _So you’ve mastered Weblums and Balmera; now it’s time for you to master the Heart. Recently, you might’ve noticed some changes occurring in--_

       “If you’re really going to save the world, you need to be able to control your emotions, Keith. You might find this quaint, but I also think you might be surprised!”

       “I can handle my own emotions.” Keith paused. “I don’t need anyone else to know about this, much less spend time working me through it.”

       “If you watch the video, I’ll give Shiro your health clearance. If that deal works for you, why don’t you sit down and treat this like any other mission briefing?”

       Keith sighed audibly and nodded in acquiescence. “All right. But the specifics of this ‘briefing?’”

       “Our secret.” Coran winked again. “Now, let me rewind it bit…”


End file.
